Thousands of jobless Asians stranded and starving in Saudi Arabia

Thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia after the plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs, activists and officials said Tuesday.

India is negotiating with Saudi authorities to repatriate thousands of its own nationals after they lost their jobs, leaving them with no money to return home

Some Filipinos are forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, said Garry Martinez, chairman of the Migrante group which works for the millions of Filipino overseas workers worldwide.

“Some of them have nothing to eat and have to go through the garbage for food,” said Martinez.

In Manila, Migrante coordinator Gilbert Saludo — who returned from Saudi Arabia last month after two years working there — said as many as 20,000 Filipinos could be affected. Read More